|
Veteran Slockett brushes past challenger Tom Slockett will remain the Johnson County auditor for yet another four-year term. Slockett took 65 percent of the electorate with 38,477 votes, while his main opponent, Hanna Gugliuzza, garnered 35 percent on 20,653 votes. Slockett, 61, was first elected as auditor in 1976, and he has since served for 31 years. He hasn’t been opposed during a presidential-election year since 1992. “I want to continue doing the job I am doing,” Slockett said. Johnson County “has a level of excellence that stands out in the state and the country.” He said his main goals for the future include allowing voters to exercise their democracy in any county precinct. In addition to making voting more convenient, he wants to increase accessibility to public information. Slockett ran against the 24-year-old independent Gugliuzza, a former election technician in the Auditor’s Office. Gugliuzza spent the evening watching the numbers file in at Okoboji Grill with her husband and supporters. Despite the hectic Election Day schedule, she said, she still drove her school bus through its route this morning. “I won’t be driving [today] because I expect a late night,” she said. Before polls closed, Gugliuzza said she had been running nonstop around Johnson County, knocking on doors and reminding last-minute voters to hit the polls. She finally slowed down around 5 p.m. Tuesday to relax with her husband. “I wanted to stop pestering people; they’ve had enough” said the Iowa City native. After the final results came in, Gugliuzza said she will run again in four years. “He’s on the wire,” she said, admonishing: “Watch out.” She added that she thinks this is a “mourning” period for Johnson County. “The repercussions are going to be grand,” she said “I feel bad for my county and for the [auditor] employees.” But in the meantime, she said, she’ll continue to work with the community and toward earning a bachelor’s degree in education. Slockett’s night was quite different: He focused on the other elections, trying to help people cast their ballots, rather than his own re-election. “I don’t have much time to look at [my] numbers while they are coming in,” he said. “I am constantly working with personnel to make sure information is coming and answering questions from poll workers.” |